Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-11-10
HOW LOST MY FOOT.
The One Time When Forgot, and What It
Cost Me.

L s
Cost Me.
This is how it happened: Father and
mother had gone to Grandma Smith
sons to stay over night When they
left, their last words were: '.Mary,
take good care of the children"
am Mary, and although Hattie is
two years older, it was always l who
received the last word of admonition.
1t seemed enough for Hattie to simply
look pretty; nobody expected any thing
else of her. She would smile and
shake her curls and say she could not
bear responsibility; she had no time for
it. But what she did all the day long no
one ever knew; it was enough that she
made sunshine wherever she went.
But was different. Twas not pretty;
was not bright, and l am afraid /
was not always 0ood-natured. The
boys used to say that l could not take
joke like Hattie; but have some
times thought l might have done so
had received the same kind of jDkes
Hattie did. Many night l would
turn my face to the wall. after she had
fallen asleep, and cry softly to myself
because was not like her. But have
learned since then that it is best we are
not all made alike If father or mother
told me to remember any thing. usu-
ally remembered: if Hattie was told,
she W S sure to forget But she would
be SO sweetly penitent that she was al
ways forgiven. And SO it was that as
we babe them good-by. father patted
Hattie's curls and called her his gay
little sunshine, and mother turned to
me with the warning about the chill
dren. Oh. how my heart ached for the
bright pet name and the caressing
hand on my head, even if my hair did
not curl. l was simply dark-haired
Mary. l rejoiced in Hattie's beauty as
much as any one, but l could not see
why, when there was so much beauty
in the world, l could not have had a
little. too.
Besides Hattie and me. there were
the twins, Fred and Frank. used to
wonder, If they were capable of doing
so much mischief at six. what they
would be at twelve. and trembled at
the thought. The hot, weary tramps
have taken over fields and meadows in
search of those two boys are too num-
erous to mention; the number of times
have rescued them from what seemed
imminent peril it is impossible to tell.
But l must tell about the time did
not remember, and what it cost me.
We stood on the front porch. watch
ing father and mother drive away, I'M
til they disappeared at the turn in the
road. Then the boys started for the
barn at full run. with many warning
words. all UNDECIDED, ringing in their
ears. while Hattie and took the books
which father had given us the day be-
fore. and made ourselves comfortable
for a long days reading. Hattie swung
herself in the hammock, while l wan
dered off to my favorite seat in the
gnarled old apple tree at the farther
end of the orchard. l climbed up
where the twisted branches made the
most delightful seat ever sat in, and
with my feet swinging over the little
brook that washed its roots and gave it
life. l opened my book and COM
menced to read The Old-fashioned
Girl think that the reason father
selected this one for me was be-
cause he thought the title suited me;
but he little imagined the absorbing
pleasure would find in it Is it any
wonder that forgot every thing
mothers warning, the mischief-loving
boys. the old apple-tree and the rip
ping brook-every thing save Tom
and Fannie and dear old-fashioned
Polly?
The sun mounted higher and higher.
and the shadows began to lean toward
, the east. and still read on. As l heard
the long whistle of the afternoon train
: at the curve mile away. l look up from
my book with dreamy eyes and far across
the sloping meadow down to the rail-
road track. winding its serpentine way
through the valley. l started. and my
wandering gaze was fixed with horror.
as / saw two tiny forms sitting on the
white sand between the glittering rails.
Instantly my book was forgotten and
flung from me. Isprang from the
tree, bounded over the brook, and
started as fast as could run down
through the meadow. raised one wild
cry for help-I had no breath
to spare for more-and hard
~ thought that would be heard 1t
seemed to me that scarcely moved as
heard the train approaching nearer
and nearer. and saw those two babies,
all unconscious of danger. sitting there.
absorbed in digging in the white sand
and piling it in heaps beside them. 1
thought of the horrible homecoming of
father and mother if / should be too
late. and on 1 flew. There was high
fence and steep embankment to climb
before could reach them. and as the
train came in sight tried to call to